Torn Between These Two Options

[gavner]

Hey guys, I had posted in a previous thread that I was looking for a $700 rig and I was glad to find so many great responses!
I have come to a crossroads, should I cheap out on the cpu and get a AMD Phenom II X4 965 but also get a 6950 2gb or should i get a 2500k and get a 6870?

Thanks,
Gavner

 

[TheBigTroll]

give me your location, what you dont need, and do you overclock or crossfire/sli

 

[TheBigTroll]

the better video card would be the 7850

 

[gavner]

I don't plan on crossfire, I may overclock in the future, its a possibility

 

[TheBigTroll]

this is what i would get. assuming you have windows

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cEG3

 

[gavner]

I already have the rest of my build, i just needed advice on my question above

 

[Merueth]

X4 965+6950.

The Phenom II's are still capable processors, and the 6950 represents a step up in terms of performance from the 6870.

But the 7850 is the same price as the 6950 (in the US), so why not just get that?

 

[TheBigTroll]

well of course the 7850 + 965 is a good choice. just putting it out there that i3 2120 beats phenom ii x4 965 in almost all games. just that you cant overclock

 

[gavner]

The 7850 is around $60 more than the 6950, could you link me a site where it's the same price?

 

[TheBigTroll]

rather cheap 7850

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=71671&vpn=FX785ACNFC&manufacture=XFX

you can also get a msi 7850 for even cheaper

 

[Merueth]

Radeon 7850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150617
Radeon 6950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549

 

[gavner]

I was checking out Amazon because there is no sales tax where I live and Newegg does have a sales tax, I don't know if it will balance out

 

[Merueth]

If you have to use Amazon, the GTX 480 has roughly equal performance to the 7850;
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-GTX480-Graphics-015-P3-1480-KR/dp/B004EHWMP6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1343481173&sr=8-12&keywords=7850

 

[TheBigTroll]

If you have to use Amazon, the GTX 480 has roughly equal performance to the 7850;
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-GTX480-Graphics-015-P3-1480-KR/dp/B004EHWMP6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1343481173&sr=8-12&keywords=7850

while using a ton more power

7850: 110w at 100% no overclock
480: 270-290w at 100% no overclock

 

[gavner]

The 6950 I wold get is 2gb, is that a factor to consider?

 

[Merueth]

The 7850 is $40 more on amazon. I'd say it's worth the trade-off in heat and power consumption.

The 6950 I wold get is 2gb, is that a factor to consider?

Most games don't use that much VRAM at 1080p. The performance difference between the 2GB and 1GB version are about 2-5 FPS.

 

[gavner]

The 7850 that was linked is the cheapest one available, I would feel more comfortable going with one that has high ratings

 

[Merueth]

Considering this 7870 is the same price as the more expensive 7850's after rebate...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662

 

[gavner]

Im spending $220 max on the gpu so those won't work

 

[Merueth]

Im spending $220 max on the gpu so those won't work

GTX 480. Unless you have a low quality PSU.

 

[gavner]

What psu should I get If i were to get the 6950?

 

[Merueth]

Bare minimum, a high quality 400 watt. Ideally you want a 500w PSU.

 

[Wisecracker]

The Sapphire HD69502GB is $200 before $10 rebate.

What mobo are you going to use with the PhII 965?

 

[gavner]

The Sapphire HD69502GB is $200 before $10 rebate.

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww165/Back_at_the_Ranch/AMD Overlords/hd6950-powerup.jpg

What mobo are you going to use with the PhII 965?

I've been thinking about the http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Sabertooth-990FX-Series-Motherboards/dp/B00539LU3E/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=Q1ZBG3A8DJ7S&coliid=IPSR1J89HWJZN

 

[Wisecracker]

That'll do :lol:

It's $165 at the Egg with code through 8/1.